Friction device.



P. M. FRBBR.

PRIGTIUN DEVICE.

APPLICATION 111.1113 JUNI: 24, 19111.A

Patented N0v.14,1911.

2 S] SETS-SHEET 1.

Iain .271'6071 MM www MW zLllllIl-lil-n:

P. M. PREBR.

FRIGTION DEVICE;

APPLITIDN FILED JUNE 24, 1910.

P3 hented NOV. 14, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2;

l al, y l\ PHELPS M.- FREER, 0F BARBERTON, OHIO.

FRICTION DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Paten ted Nov. 14, 1911.

Application filed .Tune 24, 1910. Serial No. 568,632.

To ail whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Pi-.IELrs M. F REER, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Barber-ton, in the county of Summit aridState of Ohio, have invented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Friction Devices, of Which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. v

This invention relates to a friction device designed to retard or preventthe too rapid relative movements of two parts or bodies to which it may beapplicd without, however, limiting the natural range of such movements; it beiiiO' in effect somewhat on the order of the wel known dash pots, but movable metallic parts substituted for the usual fluid element and delicate means for controlling it common in that class of devices. Being composed entirely of metal or the like, and all of the parts under perfect mechanical control, this invention may be usedin any desired posit-ion.V It is well adaptedV for use as a shock absorber for automobiles or like vehicles, and the drawing illustrates the invention in a form suitable for this purpose.

In its principal features, this invention is like that embraced by my pending applica tion for friction devices, tiled February l5th, 1910, .Serial No. 542,219, on which this present invention is an improvement.

ln the drawings which show the embodiment of this invention in forms now deemed most desirable, Figure 1 is a side elevation, with son'ieof the casing parts partially broken away for the purpose of more clearly illustrating those lying beneath them. Fig.

2 is a longitudinal-section on a. slightly enlarged scatle and mainly through one 4of the lever-and-casing members and taken onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa detached detail of a portion of one of t-lie principal 4level' arms, and the half-cup casing integrally formed thereon. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one member or half of the other lever arm. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one portion or half of the cam mem ber, two of such members beingplaeed toether back to back to forni a. complete cam.

Fig. G'is a side elevation of one of the spider springs employed in connection with the inner' series of radially movable wedge mein bers, Fig. 7' is a pers eetive vievv `of one of the wedge members o the outer serles. Fig. 8 is a similar view of one of the Wedge mem- -bers ef .the inner Series, which, in workingl the line 10410 .of Fig. 2. Fig. 1l i`s a side A elevation or open face view of the casing and the Wedges inclosei l thereby with amodiication of the Wedge-actuating cam and springs to retard the inward movements of the inner series of Wedg ;es. Fig. 12 is a section through the same `in the line 12-12 of Fig. 11: Fig. 13 is a detached view of a cam with modification of 'the retardng springs. Fig. 14 isa ve rtical transverse section of a construction embodying still another modiication of tl e cam. Fig. 15 is a face view of' the cam with its retractile spring and clamping Jolt and is formed with six sides or crestsand valleys.

In this invention, as in that of my be fore mentioned prior application, theprincipal features consist o3 two opposed series of intermeshingwedges or blocks having' in- -cliiied contact surfaces and set Within a given space, the bases o1' one series abutting against a Wall, and those of the other 1n- `,verse series disposed a ,va-y from the Wall with their protruding lases acted upon by a cam member. This Cim is movable in a path parallel to said Wall and has a curved sol or waved cani surface, tl ie lcrests and valleys of which are about equally disposed along a niediuni line' so that '.-he displacement of some of the Wedges of )ne series and their being driveninto deeper ennieshment with those of the other series aused the crests or high points of the cam, may be com pelisated for by the va leys orA low points of the cani which aii'or( spaces for the re tract-ion, or inoven-ient o1 it of mesh, o'f other wedges of the first mentioned series.

ries f wedges. are incl ised, as before, 4by a cylindrical casing agaii ist the annular wall of which .the bases of die outer sei'iesof Wedges bear, and it is a.l so provided with a rotatable or oscillating cam mounted in the casing and acting upoi the bases `of the this embodiment of the i: ivention t ie two se- 109 iniierseries of wedges.V The casing is suit? ably connected to. one le fer and the caiiito another, thetwo levers being connected re V speetively to tw'o bod: es whose relative movement it is desired :o control, Recent experimenting and thong (ht have led to certain .levelopments which improve the action of the device and also its construction, simpli'lying the partsl and greatly clieapening the cost of their prmluction, :is 'hereinafter set forth.

.l'n the prei''erred form shown in Figs. l to 10, inclusive, the casing is made ,in two duplicate partsJ A, of stamped sheet metal, each having an annular Wall. (l, and a side wall a (lished out as at to provide greater lateral space at the center than is required at the periphery. Each section of the casing has an integral lever arm A formed on its open side, the tWo arms, when assembled, lying' together and riveted or otherwise secured to fom a single member. At the free end of this lever is' an aperture a3 extending through both parts and forming a seat for a hearing bushing B, the 'apertured body-b of which projects through and beyond the two thicknesses of the arm. A flange b at one end of the bushing and a washer b2 at the other end are connected by any suitable means, such asthe rivets b3, which. extend through both and also through the int-ermedite thickness of the lever arm.

The narrower 'peripheral portion of the casing is lined with a steel band or collar B' which forms a bearing surface for the bases of the Wedges G ofthe outer series. The apices or small ends 'of these wedges point toward the axial center of the easing, While the apices of the other series of Wedges D point awayfrom.saidy center arid have their 1 basel ends bearing upon a cam disk E, as

shown. The cam in thls inst-ance 1s shown.

as having a waved surface that provides fou-r high oint-s e and four low points or valleys e" a out equally disposed within and without a medium line. W'hile this cam is shown as having four sides or crests. and valleys, a greater or less number may be usedasfound desirable, as, for instance, the six-sided orl hexagonal cam of Figs. 14 and15. Y

` T e cam is preferably composed of two dup lcate parts made of stamped sheet metal, each having a disk portion e? and a. 'hub or side boss e? having an aperture e* extending therethrough. The hub and aperture are preferably formed hexagonal, asshown in 'Fig'. 5, to fit u ponand within other members with which they cooperated" The disk portions of the cam are assembled back toback and their hubs projecting laterallv at each side fit snugly upon hexago- .nal bosses f of lever arms F, thus rigidly connected to the cams. These lever arms with their bosses are preferably formed of stamped metal; the arms converge beyond the .periphery of the casing A and meeting are united to. form a. single member having.

an aperture at its end similar to that of the arm A and similarly providedwith a suitable bushing, etc. A bolt G passes through movements.

' ployed. The -abttin the hubs of the arms and clamps them and the cam hubs rigidly together.

lt has been found desirable to retard the retraction ot the inner wed es toward the valleys of the cani and to el 'ect thisl several devices have been. tried, that shown in Figs. 1 to l() being the mest desirable for many purposes. In this construction both sides of the inner ends of the D series of Wedges are inclined as shown at d, Figs. 2 and 8, and two disks l-lf having peripheral spring fingers lz slightly dished at their ends, bear upon the inclined surfaces of these' wedges to yieldingly resist their inward retractile These disks H lie at each side of the cam disk and' are pressed toward it` by spacing thinibles or bushings I lying between the disks H and the inner faces of the arms F, the bushings having hexagonal apertures 'is to lit upon the bosses e and cylin- .drical exteriors i* lto-turn in' the round aperors of the hexe gon hubs e3 of t-he cams so as to leave them free from rotating with the cams, andthe ends of the spring lingers h =bear upon the inclined surfaces of the D 1wedges atpoints on said surfaces that are below the plane of the surfaces of the C iwedges.

This arrangement provides for holding the spring disks in fixed relation to the wedges following their rotary movements so that each finger is held in constant contactwith its particular wedge.

To vary the pressure of the spring fingers /i on the inclined sides of the D Wedges longer or shorter bushings I may be employed, the longer bushings crowding the spider-springs into firmer contact with the wedges For dust protection washers J of felt or other suitable material may. beeinwalls are also finely' tted together, to keep .out dust andI4 prevent leakage of lubricating oil which should be freely supplied to the inner working parts of the device. i

In'Figs. 11 to 15 are shown several 1nodi tications of the means for yieldingly resisting the retraction ofthe D wedges into the valleys of the cam when they are displaced by the outward advance of other D'wedges by the crests of the cam and the consequent-v transverse or side movement of all the adjacent Wedges. Instead of the spring: disks H just described the valleys of the cams, shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, have grooves edges of the casing or recesses e5 formed in their surfaces of less width than the full cam face, and in these recesses are fitted flatsprings e of slightly less length than the recesses, bearing at their ends on the bottoms of the recesses and so sha ed that between their ends-they project slig tly beyond the valley faces of the cams.

As the D wedges are forced toward the cam*- lisci-f.

disks mounted ateach side of the cam upon its hubs and having radial spring fingers which bear upon the inclined inner ends of the inner series of Wedge members With a clamping bolt acting to press the springs upon the vvedge members.

6. In a friction device, the combination of a casing composed of'duplicate parts each having an` annular ivall, an integral lever arm and a side Wall v vith round central perforation, the edges of the annular wall and the faces of the lever arms being brought together in assembling, tvvo series of intermeshingr wedge members substantially as described, a cam composed of two' duplicate disks each having a polygonal side hub with polygonal apertures therethrough, the disks being brought into face contact. when assembled, tvvo lever arms having inner hexa onal hubs adapted to t into the cam disk ubs, a pair or' disks with round central apertures to rotatably fit upon the cam hubs and having radial spring fingers adapted to bear upon the inner ends of the inner set of wedge members, vWith cylindrical bushings to `t the side apertures of the casingl and hexagonal apertures `to fit upon the cam hubs, and an axial clamping bolt whereby all the said members are held in operative positions.

T. Inka friction device, the combination of a casing formed of tvvo duplicate parts eachV with a centrally apertured side plate. annular Wall and integral lever arm, the edges of the annular Walls and inner faces of the arms being brought and secured together when assembled, tvvo series of intermeshed Wedge members as described in said casino', a cam member having hexagon hubs extending outside the casing adapted to act directly upon the bases of one series of Wedge members, lever arms having hexagonally apertured hubs adapted to fit upon the projecting cam hubs with a clamping bolt passing through both lever arms and the casing, the said lever arms being angled and meeting beyond the plane of the casing and suitably Connected to form a single arm for operating the cam in opposition to the lever of the casing.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of tvvo Witnesses. PHELPS M. FREER.

Witnesses:

HOWARD Y. DALToX, JOHXD. DIGXAULT. 

